Brògeal on independent venues ahead of IVW26

Independent Venue Week (IVW) is an annual celebration of the standalone performance spaces across the country where live art is championed without the budgets of megadomes and arenas. The 2026 iteration of IVW will see these vital forums showcase myriad talent, new and old – be it punk icons Buzzcocks, who are playing in a local community space in Galashiels, or rising star Antony Szmierek who is headed for a nightclub in Cardiff.

Entrusted with flying the flag for Scotland are Brògeal, an emerging folk-rock quintet who will serve as the nation's ambassadors throughout the festivities. "We love to gig, it's our favourite thing," explains Brògeal guitarist and vocalist, Daniel Harkins. "I still think our studio stuff's great, but it does come across better live," continues Harkins, reflecting on the "easy" decision his bandmates made to accept their position as Scottish ambassadors.

Often drawing comparisons to The Pogues, Brògeal are pioneering a new age trad sound that has been lapped up by contemporary Celtic audiences across the UK. In October 2025 the band released their debut record, Tuesday Paper Club. The LP was released on the coveted Play It Again Sam label, home to the likes of Nick Cave and Geese. Aidan Callaghan, the band's banjo player and vocalist, believes Brògeal would not be signed to such an institution without the support they received from an independent venue in their native Falkirk. "We wanted to get into a habit of playing as much as we could," says Callaghan of their early days, "so we started a gig night in this pub called Rialtos, and basically just done it ourselves, because there wasn't this kind of network yet."

Dubbed the Vicar Street Social, locals would pile into the now-defunct central belt haunt to hear the Brògeal boys thrash their way through their early material. Rowdy and often debaucherous affairs, the Vicar Street Social quickly picked up steam and headed West. "We played at McChuills every month with different support bands and they just got busier and busier," recalls Harkins, referring to the longstanding institution in the East End of Glasgow city centre. "It was amazing for McChuills to let us do that. That's an independent venue that took a big chance on us, and we wouldn't be here today doing what we're doing without those gigs."

While the Vicar Street gigs may now be a thing of the past, Brògeal’s penchant for live performance has never faltered. In 2025 Brògeal played no less than 110 gigs, and Harkins laughs when asked how the band coped with the logistics of such a relentless schedule. "Oh I don’t know man, I really don't… we've been touring pretty hard for three years now, but last year was definitely double the shows (compared to the previous year). It definitely takes an effect on your health." Callaghan chips in: "The money's no great, but the money's no great fucking anywhere, I don't believe." For the banjo player, the independent gig circuit can often be a labour of love. "There's definitely some of them in there that we didn't want to do, you know, just because we were so beyond knackered… but it's an investment man, and we struggle to turn things down."

So much is their commitment to playing live, Brògeal, more than 100 gigs deep into the year and just a week out from Christmas, elected to put on two free performances at the Elephant’s Head, Camden. "I love the feeling that the crowd get aff eh us when we play live," says Harkins of the charitable decision to host the accessible London performances. "And I suppose we just want as many people to hear this album as possible." The band were granted the opportunity to play Tuesday Paper Club to a sold-out Barrowlands crowd on the fifth and final night of The Mary Wallopers’ Christmas residency, an experience that helped Harkins to reflect on the importance of independent venues. "We had the same feeling going on stage at McChuills that we had going on stage at the Barrowlands," the guitarist muses. "We played with Paolo Nutini in Ireland at a stadium, Thomond Park. Now that was mega, but at the same time I look back to playing King Tut's, and it felt exactly the same."

Asked what needs to be done year-round to keep independent venues afloat, the Brògeal duo both agree that the music industry isn’t doing enough to filter opportunities and finances down to emerging artists. "The big promotion companies should be putting on a lot more bands at these independent venues and taking a chance on them, instead of shoving them in (larger venues)," argues Harkins. "The next great artist is willing to play gigs, but they need that comfort and stability in their lives so that they can focus on creating art," Callaghan adds. "There needs to be financial backing for young artists… like you cannae eat a tune, you know what I mean?" 

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Independent Venue Week 2026 runs from 26 Jan to 1 Feb; Brògeal play MacArts, Galashiels, 30 Jan and The Venue, Dumfries, 31 Jan

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